Electra-Afikim (Hebrew: אלקטרה-אפיקים, lit. routes), known also as Afikim, is an Israel bus company that operates on routes connecting the Gush Dan and Sharon plain regions with the western Samaria region of the West Bank, as well as lines in Ashdod, Yavne, Rosh HaAyin and other locations.
History
The company was founded in 2008 and is part of Sela Holdings. It began operating on September 1, 2009.
2010s
In March 2013, the company began operating 'Palestinian only' buses and bus lines for Palestinian workers commuting from the West Bank to jobs in Israel, following complaints from Jewish settlers.[2]
Afikim also purchased Connex's activity in Israel in 2013, significantly expanding its operations, and as of November 2014, operated about 145 routes and a fleet of 350 buses, with plans to purchase a further 200 for the Ashdod–Yavne–Tel Aviv sector.[3] In 2015, Afikim won the tender for cluster of Petah Tikva and Rosh HaAyin which includes all intracity service in Petah Tikva and Rosh HaAyin.
On May 6, 2016, Afikim started to operate the intracity and intercity services in Rosh HaAyin and line 47 from Giv'at Shmuel to Petah Tikva. On February 13, 2017, Afikim started to operate line 485 from Jerusalem to Ben Gurion Airport.
2020s
In 2021, Electra-Afikim acquired Egged Ta'avura.[4] Since, it has merged the operations and branding of Ta'avura into Electra-Afikim.[4] Electra-Afikim keeps the Ta'avura company active for as long as it has contracts with the Israeli government.
Ridership by sector
In 2017, each sector had the following annual ridership:[1]
See also
References
